“Are you sure?”
“Yes. You’ve more than earned this. You worked your ass off for me and at far less pay than you should have been making.”
I grabbed him in a big hug. “I love you, Uncle.”
“I love you too, Gilly.” He patted my shoulder. “Now, get back to work and, oh…”
“Yeah?”
“Bring that man of yours around for dinner sometime. I think we need to get to know each other better.”
“I sure will.”
24
NATE
I heard the door swing open, and Gilly yelled, “Daddy! Daddy!”
My heart was in my chest as I ran out of my office. “Gilly, what is it?”
“Look.” He shoved a paper under my nose.
“You scared me there for a second.” I glanced at what he had. “Oh.” I looked over the paper again to be sure it was actually what I thought it was. His uncle agreed to sell the company to him. “This is amazing news.” I picked Gilly up and swung him around. “We need to celebrate, and you need to move in with me.”
Jesus, Nate, way to ruin a moment.
His feet landed on the floor. “At the end of my lease. I have four more months, but I’ll talk to Rob and then put in my notice.”
“Why don’t I pay it up, and you can just move now?” I wanted him here as soon as possible—like yesterday.
“I can’t.” I did not like that frowny face at all.
“Yes, you can. You’re my boy, and I take care of you. I said I love you, and I meant it.” I tweaked his nose.
Gilly sighed, but I could tell how upset he still was. “I get you think that, Daddy, but I have a responsibility to Rob. I can’t simply walk away.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry, Gilly.” I pulled him into my arms and kissed the top of his head. “I love that you honor your commitments and wouldn’t want you to change a thing. I’m proud of you.” I should have known better, but I got caught up in the excitement and wanted nothing more than to spend more time with my boy. I was being selfish, but Gilly was quick to point it out, which meant I needed him as much as I thought he needed me—probably more.
“Thank you, Daddy. And also…” He stood up on his toes and kissed me. “I love you too.” Just like that my sweet boy set my mind at ease. “Can I paint my room too?” He moved on quickly to happier things.
“You can paint any room you want.” I totally trusted him where painting was concerned.
“Yay! I’m not an artist, but I think I can do clouds on the ceiling and blue walls.”
“I bet you could.” I gave him a quick hug. “Let me know what supplies you need, and I’ll get them.”
“We can go shopping this weekend.”
“Good plan.” With that settled, we started figuring out everything else. He would tell Rob in the morning, and we would move his stuff over the next few months so he would be settled in completely by the end of his lease. My heart pounded, feelingwarm and content. Everything was moving in the right direction and falling right into place.
Instead of ordering out, I decided to make spaghetti with French bread and a salad. While I worked in the kitchen, Gilly brought his crayons and coloring book in and sat at the bar. “I’m making a picture for you, Daddy. It’s Ellie and Monty the Monkey King. He was mean at first, but Ellie is so special, she made him a friend. She’s friends with all the aminamals.” He mispronounced animals in the most endearing way.
“She sounds very nice.”
“Can we watch the Monkey King episode again?”
“After dinner if you want. Is your belly grumbling yet?” I loved how easily his Little came out. We had gone through tremendous growth in that area, clearly making progress with it.
